Spine & Core
Psoas
major (iliopsoas)
The deep muscle running from your lower spine down through the pelvis to the top of the thigh. It's the main hip flexor and a quiet stabilizer of the low back. When it's tight it pulls your low back into a pronounced arch; releasing it is what "let your belly soften" is reaching for.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you release an arched low back (Camel → come to knees and soften) or send the leg forward in a lunge.
- Watch for… the low back over-arching and feeling "compressed" at the tailbone.
- Pairs with Low Lunge, Camel, Wheel.
Spine & Core
Iliacus
inside the hip bowl
The fan-shaped partner to psoas, running inside the pelvis from the ilium to the same thigh spot. They work as one unit (iliopsoas) to flex the hip and help keep you upright.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you hug the standing thigh to your chest or lift a knee toward your sternum.
- Watch for… it hiding behind psoas — it needs the same lengthening, not just psoas work.
- Pairs with Chair, Boat, Forward Fold.
Spine & Core
Erector Spinae
the "back straighter"
The long column of muscles running the full length of your spine on either side. They extend the back — arch it, hold you upright, and reel you back from a forward fold.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you pour your chest up in Cobra, or hold your torso long in Warrior I rather than collapsing.
- Watch for… grabbing and over-shortening; it wants to lengthen while it works.
- Pairs with Cobra, Wheel, Mountain.
Spine & Core
Quadratus Lumborum (QL)
the hitch muscle
A strap of muscle from the back of your hipbone (ilium) up to the last rib and low spine — one on each side. It lifts the hip (your "hip hitch"), and a tight QL feels like a deep low-back ache that sidesteps rather than centers.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you lift one hip (Extended Side Angle drop) or side-bend deeply (Triangle).
- Watch for… the low-back knot that isn't the spine itself — address the hip, not the vertebrae.
- Pairs with Triangle, Extended Side Angle, Side Plank.
Spine & Core
Rectus Abdominis
the six-pack
The long paired slab down the front midline of your belly, from sternum to pelvis. It curls the trunk forward and draws the ribcage toward the pelvis — your "I'm getting out of bed" muscle. The visible six-pack is just tendon lines; this muscle is what hollows the front.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you curl the ribs down in Chaturanga or round into a crunch-like shape in Boat.
- Watch for… overworking it at the expense of the deep core; it moves you, it doesn't stabilize you.
- Pairs with Boat, Chaturanga, Plank.
Spine & Core
Transverse Abdominis (TA)
the corset
The deepest belly muscle, wrapping sideways around your torso like a corset. It doesn't flex you — it cinches you: draws the navel toward the spine and stiffens the wall so your spine can carry load. Your "navel to spine" cue.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you pull the navel in without moving the ribs, in Plank or when holding a heavy pranayama breath.
- Watch for… it switching off in backbends; it's your anti-flare governor.
- Pairs with Plank, Boat, Side Plank.
Spine & Core
Internal & External Obliques
the diagonal layer
The two diagonal belly layers (external fans down-in, internal fans up-in) under the rectus. They rotate and side-bend the trunk, and they team with TA to brace on diagonals. Working them is the "wring a towel" action.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you twist from the waist (Seated Twist) or lower the ribs diagonally in a side plank.
- Watch for… twisting too much from the shoulders; the rotation should start here.
- Pairs with Seated Twist, Revolved Triangle, Side Plank.
Spine & Core
Multifidus
the segmental worker
Tiny deep muscles bridging each vertebra to its neighbors. They keep individual segments of the spine stable in every move, one segment at a time — the fine-tuning layer beneath the erectors.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you hold a slow, controlled forward fold or a lengthened plank, not a sag.
- Watch for… overall stiffness masking segmental stiffness; slow articulations wake it up.
- Pairs with Cat–Cow, Forward Fold, Mountain.
Spine & Core
Thoracolumbar Fascia
the low-back webbing
The dense sheet of connective tissue across your low back that ties glutes, lats, and hamstrings together through one structural web. Tension in the hamstrings pulls on it, which is why tight hamstrings can read as low-back ache.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… a hamstring stretch also releases the low back, linking the two.
- Watch for… mistaking a fascia pull for a muscle knot; loosen the web, not just one muscle.
- Pairs with Seated Forward Fold, Wide-Legged Forward Fold, Downward Dog.
Spine & Core
Pelvic Floor
the hammock
The sling of muscles across the base of your pelvis that supports your organs from below. It works with TA and the diaphragm as your core's bottom lid — engaging it is a gentle "lift and draw inward," never a grind.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you lift up through the sit-bones in Mountain or root down in Bridge.
- Watch for… gripping it too hard; it wants a soft tone, especially on the exhale.
- Pairs with Mountain, Bridge, Chair.
Spine & Core
Neutral Spine
the natural curve baseline
The spine's natural resting curves — a gentle inward lumbar and cervical curve, a soft outward thoracic curve. It's the "home" position from which poses start and return, not a rigid posture lock. Finding it is a reference point, not a pose.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you're in Mountain with the tailbone releasing and crown lifting — that's neutral.
- Watch for… forcing "flat" or "tucked"; neutral is your spine's own curve, not erased.
- Pairs with Mountain, Plank, Chair.
Spine & Core
Axial Extension
lengthening through the line
The action of lengthening the spine along its own axis — crown rising from a rooted tailbone — creating space between vertebrae rather than compressing them. It's "grow tall," not "pull up."
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you lengthen the waist before you fold, or find space in the neck in a backbend.
- Watch for… conflating it with arching; extension lengthens, arching compresses.
- Pairs with Mountain, Forward Fold, Chaturanga.
Hips
Gluteus Maximus
the engine
The big meat of your seat. It extends the hip (drives the leg back), helps you stand from a chair, and powers you upward. In yoga it's the "glute fires as you lift" muscle that takes load off the over-recruited low back.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you press the bottom heel down in Warrior I or push yourself up from a deep squat.
- Watch for… sleeping glutes leaving the low back to overwork.
- Pairs with Warrior I, Bridge, Chair.
Hips
Gluteus Medius & Minimus
the side stabilizers
The two smaller glute muscles on the outer top of the hip. They lift the leg out to the side and, crucially, hold the pelvis level when you stand on one leg. Weak medius = "hip drops" walking and a shaky standing-leg balance.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… the standing hip stays square and level in Tree or Half Moon, or when the lifted leg glides out sideways.
- Watch for… the pelvis tilting/dropping on the lifted-leg side — that's the medius asleep.
- Pairs with Tree, Half Moon, Warrior III.
Hips
Piriformis
the sneaky rotator
A small deep muscle under the glutes that rotates the thigh outward. It sits right on the sciatic nerve, so a tight piriformis can refer a deep "sciatica-like" ache into the buttock and down the leg.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you externally rotate the thigh in Pigeon or the folded-leg position of a seated twist.
- Watch for… the deep-buttock ache that mimics sciatica; stretch here before blaming the disk.
- Pairs with Pigeon, Eagle, Seated Twist.
Hips
Deep Hip Rotators
the external-rotation family
The small cluster under the glutes (piriformis, obturators, gemelli, quadratus femoris) that rotate the thigh outward and help keep the head of the thighbone seated in the socket. They're the "hip opening" muscles, and they also stabilize the ball joint.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you spiral the inner thigh back and down in Warrior II, or draw the knee out in a standing leg.
- Watch for… straining for "hips open" and over-rotating from the knee instead of the socket.
- Pairs with Warrior II, Pigeon, Eagle.
Hips
Hamstrings
the back-of-thigh trio
The three muscles down the back of the thigh. They bend the knee and extend the hip, and when shortened they rotate the pelvis backward, flattening the low back and pulling the fascia webbing along with them.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… the back of the leg speaks in a forward fold, or the heel draws to the buttock.
- Watch for… "tight hamstrings" that are really a lengthened pelvis; cue the fold from the hip, not the back.
- Pairs with Forward Fold, Seated Forward Fold, Warrior III.
Hips
Adductors
inner thigh
The muscles of the inner thigh that pull the leg toward the midline. They draw the legs together (ever squeeze a horse) and stabilize that inner-line connection between legs and pelvis.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you press the inner thighs together in Mountain or glide the bottom inner thigh open in a wide stance.
- Watch for… the inner-thigh pinch in Warrior III causing knee wobble.
- Pairs with Mountain, Wide-Legged Forward Fold, Eagle.
Hips
Hip Flexors
the front-thigh lifters
The muscles that lift the thigh toward the belly (psoas, iliacus, rectus femoris, TFL). Sitting shortens them; a shortened hip flexor tilts the pelvis forward and drives the low back into exaggerated curve.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you tuck the tailbone in a low lunge, or draw the knee to your chest to reset them.
- Watch for… the over-arched low back that's actually a tight flexor tilting the pelvis.
- Pairs with Crescent Lunge, Camel, Boat.
Hips
Tensor Fasciae Latae (TFL)
the outer-front hip strap
A small strap on the outer front of the hip, top of the IT band. It flexes and abducts the thigh and braces the hip. Overwork shows up as outer-hip/IT-band tension and a tendency for the knee to pull out of line.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you resist the top knee pulling back in a lunge, or in a bound-eagle leg where the outer hip fires.
- Watch for… the quad circus of it firing when psoas should; release outer hip responsibly.
- Pairs with Warrior II, Eagle, Half Moon.
Hips
Iliotibial (IT) Band
the outer-thigh strap
The long band of fascia down the outside of the thigh, from hip to just below the knee. It's not a muscle — it's tendon/fascia that several hip muscles pull on. Its tension shows up as outer-knee or outer-thigh tightness.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… the outer hip or outer knee fires in balancing or wide stance poses.
- Watch for… treating it like a muscle to roll out hard; release the muscles pulling on it instead.
- Pairs with Warrior II, Triangle, Eagle.
Hips
Anterior vs Posterior Pelvic Tilt
the pelvis's rocking chair
The two directions the pelvis rocks around its hilltop. Anterior tilt tips the front of the pelvis down (low back arches); posterior tilts it up (low back rounds/flattens). Nearly every standing and sitting pulse is a subtle dance between the two.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you tuck the tailbone (posterior) or release it and arch (anterior) to find neutral.
- Watch for… the habit tilt — knowing yours is step one to neutralizing it.
- Pairs with Mountain, Camel, Cat–Cow.
Hips
Hip Hinge vs Squat
two ways to sit back
The hip hinge sends the hips straight back with a long spine (like sitting to a chair edge — forward folds). The squat bends hips and knees together, dropping the seat toward the heels (Chair). Knowing which you're cueing changes the whole shapes.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… a forward fold is a hinge, while Chair and turning wrinkles are squats.
- Watch for… hinging when you meant to squat, which robs the knees of their role.
- Pairs with Forward Fold, Chair, Wide-Legged Forward Fold.
Shoulders & Arms
Rotator Cuff
4 muscles: supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, subscapularis
The four small muscles that wrap the head of the arm bone, holding it firmly in the shallow shoulder socket. They're the "seat belt" — rotate and steady the arm so the big muscles can move it. The "rotator cuff" is rarely one spot; it's a team.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… the shoulder stays seated and quiet in a plank or a hand weight-bearing shape, not sliding forward.
- Watch for… the socket straining as the arm bears load; cue "press into the ball of the wrist" to recruit them.
- Pairs with Plank, Chaturanga, Downward Dog.
Shoulders & Arms
Deltoid
the shoulder-cap
The rounded cap of muscle over the shoulder joint. It lifts the arm out to the side, forward, and back, and fills out the shoulder's shape. The three "heads" pull in slightly different directions, which is why arm paths matter.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you press the arms tall in Warrior I, or hold the arms out wide in a standing sun angel.
- Watch for… shrugging the delts up to the ears instead of firming them wide.
- Pairs with Warrior I, Warrior II, Plank.
Shoulders & Arms
Trapezius
upper / mid / lower
The broad kite of muscle from neck across shoulders to mid-back. Upper traps shrug and lift the shoulders; mid traps pull the blades together; lower traps pull them down the back. Balance, not bulk, is what supports a healthy neck.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… your neck melts in a fold (upper traps release) or your lower traps firm to slide your shoulders away from your ears in a plank.
- Watch for… upper traps taking over — the classic "ears-for-shoulders" — that lower traps should share.
- Pairs with Mountain, Plank, Dolphin.
Shoulders & Arms
Rhomboids
mid-back blade pullers
Two mid-back muscles that pinch the shoulder blades together and down (retraction). They're the "gather the scapula" muscles that keep the blades from winging off the back.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you draw the blades together and down in a backbend or a cobra with chest up.
- Watch for… collapsed chest in the back letting the blades wing; rhomboids switch off.
- Pairs with Cobra, Bow, Warrior I.
Shoulders & Arms
Serratus Anterior
the "boxer's muscle"
The fan of muscle on your side ribcage that pulls the shoulder blade forward and out around the ribcage and steadies it to the chest wall. It's the push-arm power muscle and the one that keeps your shoulder blade glued flat in weight-bearing.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you push through the floor in push-up shapes and your shoulder blade stays flat rather than winging up.
- Watch for… the "winging blade" — when the shoulder blade lifts off the back, serratus has checked out.
- Pairs with Plank, Chaturanga, Dolphin.
Shoulders & Arms
Latissimus Dorsi
the lats / "wings"
The huge fan from your low back flaring up under the arms. It pulls the arms down and back and connects arm and torso power — the muscle of "pull the world down." It also lifts the ribcage on the inhale.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you pull the floor toward you in Downward Dog, or draw the elbows down in Chaturanga.
- Watch for… lats making the shoulders hunch forward or blocking a backbend lift.
- Pairs with Chaturanga, Downward Dog, Side Plank.
Shoulders & Arms
Pectoralis Major & Minor
the chest pair
The broad chest muscles (major across the front, minor tucked beneath). They draw the arms across the body and rotate/round the shoulders. Short/tight pec minor is the classic "rounded shoulders, head forward" culpr-holding pattern.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… your chest broadens on a backbend exhale, or your arms cross in Eagle with a stretch across the chest.
- Watch for… tight pecs tipping the shoulders forward out of earshot of the back muscles.
- Pairs with Cobra, Wheel, Eagle.
Shoulders & Arms
Biceps & Triceps
front / back of upper arm
The two upper-arm muscle groups. Biceps bend the elbow (front, flexor); triceps straighten it (back, extensor). Triceps carry you through Chaturanga and push-ups; biceps turn a palm and bend the elbow in a curl.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… triceps fire lowering into Chaturanga, or biceps engage bringing the palm to the shoulder in Eagle.
- Watch for… skipping through Chaturanga so triceps never actually lock the elbow.
- Pairs with Chaturanga, Plank, Eagle.
Shoulders & Arms
Scapular Movements
elevation, depression, retraction, protraction, up/down rotation
The ways your shoulder blades can slide on your back: lift up (elevation/shrug), sink down (depression), glide together (retraction), slide apart and forward (protraction), and rotate the entire blade as the arm goes overhead. "Set the scapula" is choosing the right glide for the shape.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you draw the blades down your back before lifting arms overhead, or slide them wide apart in a push-up.
- Watch for… the shrug (elevated blade) when you meant to depress; it cramps the neck.
- Pairs with Dolphin, Mountain, Plank.
Shoulders & Arms
Shoulder Joint vs Shoulder Girdle
the ball vs the platform it rides on
The shoulder joint is the ball-and-socket where arm meets body; the shoulder girdle is that joint plus the collarbone and the shoulder-blade gliding on the ribcage. Arms go overhead by the girdle rotating the whole blade — cue the blade, not just the joint.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… reaching overhead in Warrior I needs the shoulder blade to tip back, not just the joint to jam.
- Watch for… forcing the joint open overhead without mobilizing the blade — that's the impingement recipe.
- Pairs with Warrior I, Chair, Dolphin.
Shoulders & Arms
"Stack the Joints" & Wrist Extension
the weight-bearing lineup
In weight-bearing shapes, joints work best stacked: wrist under elbow under shoulder, so load runs straight down the bone. "Wrist extension" is the wrist bent backward against the floor — there's a lot of it in tabletop, plank, and down dog, which is why wrists complain.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you check that your wrist, elbow, and shoulder line up in Plank or Dolphin.
- Watch for… the wrist wringing under load — stack the joints or take the fists.
- Pairs with Plank, Chaturanga, Dolphin.
Legs & Feet
Quadriceps
the front-thigh four
The four front-thigh muscles that straighten the knee. They catch you lowering, hold a lunge, and extend the leg in Warrior III. One head (rectus femoris) also crosses the hip and flexes it — so it works double duty.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you hold a Chair, press through a bent standing leg, or lift the back leg in Warrior III.
- Watch for… the quads checking out in standing shapes, letting the knee wobble.
- Pairs with Chair, Warrior I, Crescent Lunge.
Legs & Feet
Gastrocnemius & Soleus (Calves)
the two-headed calf
The two calf muscles: gastrocnemius is the big visible split muscle (needs a straight knee to stretch), soleus sits underneath (works with the knee bent). Together they point the toe, push you off the ground, and pump blood back up the leg.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… the heel presses down in Downward Dog (gastrocnemius) or in a bent-knee squat (soleus).
- Watch for… dead calves in lunges — pressing the back heel down wakes them.
- Pairs with Downward Dog, Chair, Warrior I.
Legs & Feet
Tibialis Anterior
the shin
The muscle along the front of your shin that lifts the top of the foot (dorsiflexion) and braces the foot against the floor. It's the "flatten the sole against the ground" muscle that keeps the shin from buckling forward in a squat.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you lift the toes in a fold, or press the front of the foot down in a low lunge.
- Watch for… it tiring in wide stance — it's the quiet guard of the shin.
- Pairs with Chair, Lunge, Half Moon.
Legs & Feet
Arches of the Foot
medial, lateral, transverse
The foot's three springy vaults: the big inner arch (medial), the smaller outer one (lateral), and the transverse across the forefoot. Together they absorb shock and distribute weight — the reason "spread the toes" actually helps your whole posture.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you root into four corners of the foot in Mountain or lift the inner arches in a standing pose.
- Watch for… collapsed arches rolling the ankle inward; that's the medial arch giving up.
- Pairs with Mountain, Triangle, Tree.
Legs & Feet
Dorsiflexion vs Plantarflexion
toes up / toes down
The two directions the foot bends at the ankle: dorsiflexion lifts the toes toward the shin (dorsi = top of foot); plantarflexion points the toes away (points the sole, the "plantar" plane). Dorsiflexion is what lets you sit tall in a squat without tipping back.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you press the heel down and lift the toes in a fold (dorsiflexion), or point the foot in a half-moon back leg (plantarflexion).
- Watch for… ankles that won't dorsiflex quietly shrinking the squat and tilting the pelvis.
- Pairs with Chair, Forward Fold, Half Moon.
Legs & Feet
Knee Tracking
keeping the joint in line
Knees work best in a straight line: knee pointing the same direction as the toes, over the foot, not collapsing in or out. "Track the knee over the second toe" is the standing-poses safety cue that spares the ligaments.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you square the knee over the foot in Warrior I/II and the hip socket (not the knee) does the work.
- Watch for… the inner knee collapsing toward the midline in lunges and squats.
- Pairs with Warrior I, Warrior II, Tree.
Breath
Diaphragm
the dome of breath
The big dome-shaped muscle separating chest from belly. It's the engine of breathing: contracts to flatten and draw air in, relaxes and domes to push air out. Every inhale is a diaphragm press into the belly — the "belly breath" happens because of the dome.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… your belly and low ribs expand on the inhale in a restorative fold or Savasana.
- Watch for… shallow chest breathing that leaves the diaphragm idle; the low ribs should widen.
- Pairs with Mountain, Seated Forward Fold, Reclined.
Breath
Intercostals
the rib-space muscles
The thin muscles between your ribs. They lift and spread the ribs on the inhale, widening the ribcage sideways and front, and help it settle on the exhale. "Breathe into the ribs" in a twist or backbend is literally this layer.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you widen the ribcage on the inhale in a twist or a backbend where the ribs are already open.
- Watch for… compressed ribs in a twist that block the intercostals from moving.
- Pairs with Seated Twist, Cobra, Triangle.
Breath
Accessory Muscles
scalenes & sternocleidomastoid
The neck muscles that jump in to lift the ribcage only when breathing gets deep or effortful — scalenes on the sides of the neck, sternocleidomastoid at the front. They're the "gasp" muscles; overusing them at rest is how heads creep forward and necks stiffen.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you're panting in a strong sequence and the neck muscles grab to help pull air.
- Watch for… chronic neck/shoulder tightness that's really the accessory muscles over-recruited.
- Pairs with Chaturanga, Wheel, Breath practice.
Breath
Abdominals as Breathing Muscles
the exhale team
Your belly wall (especially transverse abdominis and obliques) is the exhale's engine: it squeezes inward and upward to help push air out. This is why core work and breathing are the same practice — a engaged core shapes the breath, and full exhales tone the core.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… your belly draws in on the exhale in a fold, or the navel-to-spine engages as you cough/sigh.
- Watch for… holding the belly rigid and blocking the breath; it should squeeze with the exhale, not resist it.
- Pairs with Boat, Plank, Uddiyana bandha practice.
Concepts
Agonist & Antagonist
the push & the pull
Every movement has a pair: the agonist is the muscle doing the work, its antagonist is the one relaxing on the opposite side. Bending the elbow: biceps is agonist, triceps the antagonist. Naming the pair is what makes splits and backbends make sense — one side contracts, the other releases.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you stretch hamstrings (lengthened, antagonist) while the quadriceps shorten to hold the fold.
- Watch for… overthinking the science — feel whose turn it is to work and whose to soften.
- Pairs with Forward Fold, Camel, Warrior I.
Concepts
Concentric / Eccentric / Isometric
shorten / lengthen / hold
The three ways a muscle works: concentric shortens under load (lifting up), eccentric lengthens under load (lowering slowly), isometric holds length (plank, holding a shape). Eccentric is the "brake" that builds strength safely; isometric is how a pose feels when you just hold.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… Chaturanga lowers you (eccentric), presses you up (concentric), and plank holds you still (isometric).
- Watch for… rushing the eccentric — the slow lowering is where the strength payoff lives.
- Pairs with Chaturanga, Plank, Chair.
Concepts
Fascia
the all-over web
The continuous web of tough connective tissue wrapping every muscle, bone, organ, and nerve — one interconnected net from head to toe. It transmits tension (tight hamstrings pulling the low back) and holds your shape. This is why the body moves in lines, not parts.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… a stretch in one place ripples elsewhere, e.g. your low back releasing when hamstrings give.
- Watch for… treating it like only muscles; the web wants length and glide, not just stretch.
- Pairs with Seated Forward Fold, wide-legged folds, Camel.
Concepts
Proprioception
the body's position sense
Your inner radar for where your limbs are in space without looking. The sensors in muscles and joints tell your brain the angle of every joint — it's why you can close your eyes, raise an arm, and know exactly where it is. Balance poses tune it.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you can straighten a leg in Warrior III or keep your eyes closed in Tree and still know you're square.
- Watch for… letting the eyes do all the work — training proprioception means noticing where the body is without the visual crutch.
- Pairs with Tree, Warrior III, Eagle.
Concepts
Interoception
the felt sense of the inside
Your awareness of your internal state — heartbeat, breath, fullness, tension, heat — the "how does this feel" layer distinct from knowing where limbs are. It's the sense behind noticing that a pose is effortful or settling, and the linchpin of mindful practice.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you notice your breath shallowing in a hard pose, or the moment a shoulder starts to grip.
- Watch for… skipping interoception for proprioception; this felt sense is what makes yoga meditative, not just athletic.
- Pairs with Savasana, restorative shapes, breath practice.
Concepts
The Three Planes of Motion
sagittal, frontal, transverse
The three spatial planes your body moves through: the sagittal (front-back, like folds and lunges), the frontal (side-to-side, like side bends and abductions), and the transverse (rotational, like twists). Almost every pose is a cocktail of the three — naming the plane tells you what the shape is working.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… a forward fold lives in the sagittal plane, a side bend in the frontal, and a twist in the transverse.
- Watch for… a balanced practice touching all three planes, not just the one you love.
- Pairs with Forward Fold, Triangle, Seated Twist.
Concepts
Common Joint Actions
a glossary of movement names
The words for how a joint moves: flexion (bends and closes the angle), extension (straightens it), abduction (limb away from midline), adduction (toward it), rotation (turning around its own axis), circumduction (drawing a cone with the limb), inversion/eversion (foot tip in/out), pronation/supination (forearm palm down/up). Learn these and a teacher's "abduct the leg" stops being a mystery.
- In a pose you'll feel it when… you flex the knee to fold, abduct the leg to Warrior II's stance, or supinate the forearm to open the palm in a chair twist.
- Watch for… the pairings — for every flexion there's an extension, and naming both covers the range.
- Pairs with Warrior I/II, Seated Twist, Chair.